Lumpfish

The lumpfish, also known as the lumpsucker, is a family of marine fish that comes in many different colors, including blue, brown, and black. There are 30 recognized species, spread throughout the globe. Their lumpy, uneven, gelatinous skin and balloon-shaped bodies give them a truly bizarre appearance. While interesting to observe, they generally do not make good aquarium fish as human pets. Unfortunately, there is still a lot we do not understand about their behavior and ecology in the wild.

3 Lumpfish Facts

• Lumpfish can migrate throughout the year in response to changing environmental conditions. In the winter, they feed in cold waters. In the summer, they move toward shallow waters to breed.
• Lumpfish are considered to be poor swimmers. They generally stay close to the bottom of the ocean.
• Lumpfish are very useful animals for salmon farmers because they’re known to eat harmful sea lice that affect the health of the salmon.

Classification and Scientific Name

The lumpfish is classified in the family Cyclopteridae. This is derived from the combination of two Greek words: kyklos, meaning circle, and pteryx, meaning wing or fin. This refers to the circle-shaped suction discs on their fins. There are currently five recognized genera within the Cyclopteridae family.

Evolution and Origins

Lumpfish, also known as Cyclopterus lumpus, are a type of marine fish that are typically found in the North Atlantic but can sometimes be found as far south as the Chesapeake Bay, with a skin-covered fin that forms a high crest on their backs, and three rows of bony protrusions on their sides.

The lumpfish is a type of saltwater fish that can be found in both the eastern and western Atlantic, ranging from Spitsbergen in the north to Portugal in the south and from Newfoundland and Labrador in the west to New Jersey in the east, as well as off the coasts of Iceland and Greenland.

The lumpfish is appropriately named due to its variety of lumps, ridges, and bumps, and its skin is adorned with fleshy knobs and spots.

Appearance

The lumpfish have round, balloon-shaped bodies with big eyes and fan-like fins. Their scaleless skin, covered in bumps, ridges, and fleshy knobs, has been described as leathery and bumpy. Their handy suction discs on their pelvic fins enable them to attach to different surfaces in the face of strong currents.

Depending on the species, the lumpfish can vary in size anywhere from 1 inch to 24 inches. Females are generally larger than males, but otherwise, they are difficult to tell apart from each other. Lumpfish generally exhibit drab colors, including brown, blue, black, and gray, which can change as they age, but males tend to turn bright colors when attempting to attract a mate.

Distribution, Population, and Habitat

Lumpfish are generally found in shallower marine waters throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans up to about 1,700 feet (500 meters). The greatest number of species can be found in the northern Atlantic. They are found near the bottom of the ocean, where their subdued colors provide effective camouflage against potential predators.

Very little is known about the population numbers of the lumpfish. In fact, the vast majority of species have not yet been evaluated, but they are considered near threatened by the IUCN Red List.

A species, known simply by its scientific name, Georgimarinus barbatus, has been evaluated, and even that is considered data deficient (meaning we don’t have enough population data about it). The greatest threats to their existence include overfishing, habitat degradation, and large-scale disruptions resulting from the exploration of undersea oil and gas reserves.

Predators and Prey

The lumpfish are primarily carnivorous predators. They will eat almost anything they can find at the bottom of the ocean.

What eats the lumpfish?

The lumpfish is preyed upon by numerous marine animals, including skates, seals, sperm whales, sharks, and orcas. As mentioned previously, camouflage helps them evade predators.

What does the lumpfish eat?

Species that tend to inhabit the ocean floor, including the Pacific or Japanese spiny lumpsucker, consume a diet of worms, crustaceans, and mollusks. Species that tend to travel farther out into the open oceans also consume jellyfish and small fish, such as herring and sand lances.

Reproduction and Lifespan

As the breeding season approaches, males will move toward shallow water and create a nest in a bedrock crevice or depression in the sea floor. When the female arrives, the male may start to turn bright colors, such as red or orange, to attract a mate, which is thought to be a proxy for overall health. If she likes what she sees, then the female will lay a mass of more than 100,000 eggs in the nest.

The male will then fertilize the eggs and defend the unhatched baby lumpfish from predators without the assistance of the female. In some species, the male may go without food for nearly this entire duration. It will take approximately one to two months for the eggs to hatch.

Shortly after hatching, the baby lumpfish cling to seaweed near the shore and are already fully capable of feeding. When the baby lumpfish finally grow up, they move into deeper and colder water like their parents. In the wild, lumpfish live an average of six to eight years. The oldest known lifespan is 13 years.

Fishing and Cooking

The lumpfish is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world, including Canada, Greenland, and Norway. In Iceland, it is popular enough as a delicacy to be featured in the national currency.

The female’s eggs, or roe, are sold as affordable caviar. In some countries, caviar only refers to the roe of the sturgeon, but many other kinds of fish can produce roe that passes for caviar as well.